Cinema Paradiso – Sicily Vs Cinema Electra – Greece

Yet again, last night, I watched Giuseppe Tornatore’s splendid film “Cinema Paradiso” and once again vivid memories flooded back, of the many summer evenings, spent at the open-air cinema; Electra, Loutraki.

Why this happens? I don’t know, the mind and how it associates certain things is a mystery, to me at least!

Cinema Paradiso is an indoor Cinema in Sicily, a few years after World War II, The Electra Cinema, outdoors and in Loutraki, Greece, first visited by me about twenty five years ago.

Maybe it’s the Italian scenery, the village life, so similar to Greek village life, whatever it is, I love both the film and the Electra cinema!

Cinema Paradiso, (A fictional cinema, in the fictional village of Giancaldo, Sicily) is a film about lost innocence and nostalgia.

Salvatore (Toto), a six year old boy played by Salvatore Cascio, who lost his father at the end of World War II, befriends Alfredo, played by the great French film star Philippe Noiret, the projectionist at the local cinema: Cinema Paradiso.

Here begins Toto’s love of films and a poignant relationship with Alfredo, who becomes a father-figure to him.

The priest, Father Adelfio, who is also the local film censor, demands that Alfredo cut out all “inappropriate scenes”.

Unbeknown to Alfredo; Toto has collected all the cut offs and keeps them in a box under his bed.

Eventually, after being taught by Alfredo, Toto becomes the assistant projectionist and when offered a job on mainland Italy, Alfredo encourages him to accept.

Alfredo has recognized Toto’s talent and knows that the small village of Giancaldo (Fictional) has nothing to offer him, he tells Toto:

“Don’t look back, don’t write, and don’t give in to nostalgia”

 Toto left and didn’t return until thirty years later, after being informed of Alfredo’s death.

He returned as a famous film director, he had followed his passion.

After Alfredo’s funeral, Toto’s mother gives him a present from Alfredo, which he doesn’t open until he is home, it’s a film, a film made from all the cut out scenes that Toto’s mother had found under his bed and given to Alfredo.

It is a beautiful film, if you haven’t seen it, you must!

Open-air cinemas are the very essence of Greek summers, sadly; they are becoming a thing of the past.

When I first came to Loutraki there were four or five, now, I think the only one left is the Electra.

The Electra really is a “Cinema Paradiso”.

It sits by the harbour in Loutraki, surrounded by pine and eucalyptus trees, and vivid-coloured bougainvillea trailing over the walls.

It’s heaven to sit there on a summer evening, a cool breeze blowing off the sea, the gentle lapping of the waves and the heady aroma of jasmine, intermingled with the mouth watering smell of souvlaki being grilled, for the interval.

Once the Electra has opened we know that summer has truly arrived.

There are two showings every night, one at nine, when the sun has gone down,  and one at eleven and on Tuesdays; children’s films, dubbed into Greek, all other films have Greek subtitles.

 Through experience, I realized it was better to go to the early showing.

Because of the Electra’s close proximity to apartment buildings, the sound was turned down very low after midnight, so, if you couldn’t read the Greek subtitles, you had a problem!

My children loved it, most Tuesdays; we would sit at the seafront and, just as the sun was setting, take them along to the cinema, give them money for souvlaki and chips, which were served during the interval, get them settled in their seats, and then enjoy a drink, at a little café, next door to the cinema, and collect the children, once the film ended.

One summer, when my sister was here with her family, my daughter Nais, about seven years old at the time, took her cousins, aged about four and five to see the film Bambi, or some such.

We dropped them off as usual and went on to our little café.

We were finishing our drinks, and about to collect the children from the cinema when  I saw all three of them heading towards us from the opposite direction of the cinema.

Nobody had thought about the film being dubbed into Greek.

Sophie and Matthew, knowing not a word of Greek couldn’t understand a thing, so, Nais, instead of coming back to us, very kindly took them on a tour of Loutraki!

I still shudder at the thought of those three young children sauntering around at night on their own!

This summer, I shall take my granddaughter, Melina, who, by the time the Electra Cinema opens for the summer season, will be nearly three and a half years old, old enough, I think.

We shall see… and we did, I just came back to add this update!